SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE BUSINESS CASE
WILDCAT SHOP POS SYSTEM CHANGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.
Problem Definition ......................................................................................................................................... 2
2.
Addressing Problem with CWU existing tools and products ........................................................................... 2
3.
Organizational Impact .................................................................................................................................... 3
4.
Benefits .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
5.
Strategic Alignment ........................................................................................................................................ 3
6.
Cost ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
7.
Alternatives.................................................................................................................................................... 5
8.
Timing / Schedule .......................................................................................................................................... 5
9.
Technology Migration/Resource Identification .............................................................................................. 6
10. Product Life/Application Sunsetting or Decommissioning ............................................................................. 6
11. References .................................................................................................................................................... 6
12. Recommendation .......................................................................................................................................... 7
13. Approvals ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Wildcat Shop is currently using a 25-year-old POS system. Sequoia Retail Systems, our provider, has
not put any money into developing new technologies that would bring its system up to National Retail
Federation (NFR) standards, which is what all retail systems should strive to meet. The integrity of our
system has been highly in doubt this past year, as well as the support we are receiving from their help
desk. Due to this, we need to find a system that will meet our needs of providing the store excellent and
innovative tools for the future and the ability to plug in additional pieces that meet NFR standards in
relation to Microsoft products widely available in today’s market. Ratex Business Solutions will meet the
NFR standards and will provide a robust textbook package which is imperative in our college retail
market. They also have no ties to a used-book company, like most other system providers in our
marketplace. This allows us the freedom to choose the vendors that we believe will serve our students
better. Ratex Business Solutions is owned by the Collegiate Retail Alliance (CRA) which is made up of
some of the most successful independent college stores in North America, with the purpose of
collaborating and finding smarter ways of doing business. The company makes no profit, which further
proves that they are there to improve the stores and provide technology that will help these stores
succeed.
Sponsoring Department(s): Wildcat Shop
Date of Business Case Preparation:
October 1, 2014
Contact Person Name/Phone: Steve Wenger, 1353
New Product/Service
If there is a draft or sample contract, please provide a copy.
Renewal of Existing Product/Service – if checked, include background information.
We pay our existing software provider a yearly maintenance fee of $31,500 for the system and
an additional $7590 for our web site for a total of $39,090 per year.
1. Problem Definition
The Wildcat Shop is presently using the Sequoia Retail Systems POS for all business within
the store and their ePOS program for online ordering. We have used their system since May
of 2005. We are having problems with the integrity of the system both from the retail side
and IT support that make it necessary for us to find a new provider that will provide us with
a stable platform and acceptable support when we need it.
2. Addressing Problem with CWU existing tools and products (i.e. PeopleSoft)
The present POS has connectivity with the PeopleSoft system for input of account data for
student ID and departmental account information as well as course information being
available within the enrollment process. We have been greatly hampered within the
textbook department this year with a slowdown of the textbook system since February of
2014 for all functions. This has caused a large loss of time for my staff and still has not been
fixed by the present software provider. We have also lost sales with several breakdowns
that occurred during mid-September only a week before classes started where the system
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was shut down for several hours. We are fearful that this is only going to get worse. Nate
Hill, our Auxiliary Services Computing Director, feels the same. We feel that we need to
move within the year at the latest to a stable system. The new system would be able to do
all of this plus connect with the accounting system for processing payments eliminating
input presently required by our staff.
3. Organizational Impact



All Stakeholders: Wildcat Shop staff, Auxiliary Services Computing staff, Financial
Services, and Enterprise Accounting staff
Potential Partners/Primary Users: Wildcat Shop staff, Auxiliary Services Computing
staff and CWU students, alumni and guests
RFP Requirements Contributors – This section may or may not be required
Department
Name
Wildcat Shop
Steve Wenger
Enterprise Computing
Nate Hill
4. Benefits

Elimination of redundant work

Save on labor and time with Digital Document Storage

Less exposure to potential data errors

Reduction of manual entry for online products

Greater ability to analyze store, vendor, and product performance to improve
the bottom line with AGORA Business Intelligence

Lower prices to students on textbooks

Improve time use for Academic Course Materials staff

Provide Customer relationship management (CRM) system to help us better
interact with our current and future customers
5. Strategic Alignment
The mission of Central Washington University is to prepare students for enlightened,
responsible, and productive lives; to produce research, scholarship, and creative expression in
the public interest; and to serve as a resource to the region and the state through effective
stewardship of university resources.
This project aligns perfectly with Objective 5.1: Maximize the financial resources to the
university, and assure the efficient and effective operations of the University through financial
stewardship.
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6. Cost

Source of Funding (535510000) from our store reserves that have been set aside
for a new POS system. This has been in the budget and planned for the last few
years

Initial Cost Breakdown
Description
Pricing
VisualRATEX Software (1-B)
104,000
Training (1-B)
31,200
Administrative Software (1-C)
3,770
e-RATEX Ecommerce (1-D)
18,295
Back Office and Point of Sale Server (1-E)
CWU Supplied
Back Office and POS Server DBMS (1-F)
17,920
Point of Sale Registers (1-G)
15,855
Point of Sale Registers - Portable (1-H)
5,590
Signature Capture Devices (1-I)
10,327
Barcode Price Tag Printer (1-K)
1,790
Professional Services Estimates (1-L)
Total
31,200
$239,947

5 year Maintenance Cost Breakdown Estimates
Year 2
Maintenance Category
Year 1
29,065
VisualRATEX
27,680
– Maintenance for Proposed Modules
9,000
eRATEX Ecommerce
Year 3
30,515
Year 4
32,040
Year 5
33,640
9,450
9,920
10,415
10,935
Host Access POS Connectivity Application
- 9 Registers
Warranty
270
270
270
270
ASPDotNetStore Front
Warranty
500
500
500
500
RDBMS (40 users)
Warranty
$36,680
3,200
$42,485
3,200
$44,405
3,200
$46,425
3,200
$48,545
Yearly Total
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7. Alternatives
Alternative
Reasons For Not Selecting Alternative
Remaining on present system
We continue to have more problems and
more severe ones with the system and they
are not supporting us or making any moves
to improve or replace the 25 year old
operating system. Our provider is not
embracing new technologies needed for the
business of our store. Western Washington
U uses this system as well.
Purchase MBS system
This is a good system but is controlled by a
used book company and therefore is limited
to what they want to do and add to the
system not the independent stores that are
using it. It also has WIPHE through May
2015 through Peninsula CC. This system is
used at Eastern Washington University.
Purchase Sidewalk POS system
This system is presently untested and we
don’t know how this new company will end
up. It may be a great system, but it is too
early to tell how it will do with a large store
WSU is lease operated by Barnes and
Noble and does not apply. Ratex Legacy
is used at U of W and would not apply
8. Timing / Schedule
Task
Target Date
RFP ready
11/2014
RFP process complete
1/2015
Start Implementation process
2/2015
Training
5/1/2015
Data Extraction
5/15/2015
Go Live
6/1/2015
Physical Inventory
6/26/2015
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9. Technology Migration/Resource Identification
The Wildcat Shop staff was introduced to the RATEX software in an overview in early August
2014 and a more complete demonstration to all store personnel the first week in
September. All staff were very impressed with the software and the additional tools it
provided for CRM, BI, online ordering, and course materials capabilities that improve the
stores ability to provide products and services to our students at affordable prices and
improve store profitability. All data for products will be able to be migrated to the new
system.
Requirements
Personnel
Equipment
Facilities
Resource
Project Manager
(CWU PMO)
Project Lead (CWU
Aux. Computing)
Configuration Mgr.
(CWU Aux.
Computing)
Training Manager
(vendor)
Total Hours
Timeframe
RATEX trainer and installers
Computer, server, phone
Office use
Jan
2015
10
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
30
30
40
40
40
15
10
20
30
80
80
80
20
20
33
100
75
353
573
768
10
50
100
180
2/2015-6/2015
2/2015-6/2015
5/2015-6/2015
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
5
Dec
2014
10
5
783
10
20
10. Product Life/Application Sunsetting or Decommissioning
This product is being reinvented completely within the next year to two years and will be
modular with Microsoft components and SQL server operating system. The modular
concept will make this product able to adapt and change for the future. We expect a 10 to
15 year life for the system with periodic upgrades and the ability to change with new add on
abilities.
11. References
Jeff Zeilenga, University of Missouri, Columbia. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,
stated that this system is the future for all college stores after looking for a solution inside
and outside the college book industry with Microsoft integration that met NFR standards.
They have been using the system for three years.
David Kent, Director of the Tennessee Vols Store at University of Tennessee, and President of
the Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA): Presently using the system for four
years and highly recommended it to us.
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12. Recommendation
It is the recommendation of the Wildcat Shop management team and the textbook
department to move forward with changing from Sequoia Retail Systems to Ratex Business
Solutions. As I stated in part two we have been greatly hampered within the textbook
department this year with a slowdown of the textbook system since February of 2014 for all
functions. This has caused a large loss of time for my staff and still has not been fixed by the
present software provider. We have also lost sales with several breakdowns that occurred
during mid-September only a week before classes started where the system was shut down
for several hours. We are fearful that this is only going to get worse. Nate Hill, our Auxiliary
Services Computing Director, feels the same. We feel that we need to move within the year
at the latest to a stable system. Ratex has proved to be that system and will allow us to
grow with the new technology that they will be providing within the next two years. We will
spend very little on hardware as it allows us to only spend an additional $15,000 on
upgrading the monitors for our registers and two smaller portable registers for outside
sales. It is hard to put a price on integrity of the system and that is really what is at stake
with staying with Sequoia. We are seeing most of the larger college stores presently with
Sequoia leaving and we cannot afford to be left as the last store with no support.
We already need to do an upgrade on our credit card terminals so this is not an additional
charge. This $10,000 expense we would incur next year regardless of getting a new system
or not to make ready for pin pad PCI compliance.
13. Approvals
The following actions have been taken by the appropriate Sub-Council (ATAC or NonAcademic Sub-Council) and Enterprise Information System Committee (EISC):
Date
Action
By
11/3/2014
Approved
EISC
Upon secured funding and approval by the Enterprise Information System Committee (EISC),
Enterprise Facilities Committee, or one of the two Sub-Councils (Academic or Non-Academic),
CWU procurement policies and procedures should be used to initiate a purchase. Please
contact the Purchasing office at x1001 with any questions regarding the procurement process.
If you have any questions, please contact Ginger McIntosh 963-1466, Sue Noce 963-2927 or
Tina Short 963-2910.
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